Country music power couple Garth Brooks and Trisha Yearwood hosted a quick press conference inside the Forum in Inglewood Friday afternoon ahead of the pair’s quartet of shows at the legendary venue Friday, July 21, Saturday, July 22, Friday, July 28 and Saturday, July 29.

“Those shows were pretty cool,” Brooks, now 55, said during a one-on-one interview in the Forum Club. Sporting a blue hoodie, a pair of faded blue jeans and a black Garth Brooks baseball cap, Brooks was wide eyed, excited and sincere as he recounted playing some of those spots at the height of his illustrious career back in the ‘90s and the fact that he’s still breaking sales records today.

It has been 21 years, however, since he’s set foot inside the Forum.

Garth Brooks (pictured performing at Honda Center in Anaheim in 2016) will perform four evenings at the Forum in Inglewood on Friday, July 21 and Saturday, July 22 and Friday, July 28 and Saturday, July 29. (Photo by Bill Alkofer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Garth Brooks (pictured performing at Valley View Casino Center in 2015) will perform four evenings at the Forum in Inglewood on Friday, July 21 and Saturday, July 22 and Friday, July 28 and Saturday, July 29. (Photo by Matt Masin, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Sound

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Garth Brooks (pictured performing at Honda Center in Anaheim in 2016) will perform four evenings at the Forum in Inglewood on Friday, July 21 and Saturday, July 22 and Friday, July 28 and Saturday, July 29. (Photo by Bill Alkofer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Garth Brooks (pictured performing at Honda Center in Anaheim in 2016) will perform four evenings at the Forum in Inglewood on Friday, July 21 and Saturday, July 22 and Friday, July 28 and Saturday, July 29. (Photo by Bill Alkofer, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Garth Brooks (pictured performing at Valley View Casino Center in San Diego in 2015) will perform four evenings at the Forum in Inglewood on Friday, July 21 and Saturday, July 22 and Friday, July 28 and Saturday, July 29. (Photo by Matt Masin, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Garth Brooks (pictured performing at Valley View Casino Center in San Diego in 2015) will perform four evenings at the Forum in Inglewood on Friday, July 21 and Saturday, July 22 and Friday, July 28 and Saturday, July 29. (Photo by Matt Masin; Orange County Register/SCNG)

“When you roll up outside it just looks like it got a really good paint job,” he said with laugh. “But once you walk inside, holy cow, it’s like when you’re building a house and they say spend the money on the kitchen and the living room and the master bedroom and that’s it. Well, these people spent the money in the right places because everywhere we’ve been in this place so far has been fantastic.”

The multi-million dollar renovation that took place at the Forum, which reopened in 2014, included some big spending in the sound department, which was something Brooks was anxious to experience for his first soundcheck.

“Everyone is bragging about that, so I can’t wait to get out there and do that right now,” he added.

Brooks released his first album in 13 years, “Man Against Machine,” in 2014 and followed that effort up just two years later with 2016’s “Gunslinger.” Though he has an arsenal of massive hits – from memorable slower cuts like “Thunder Rolls,” “The Dance” and “Rodeo” to fiery sing-alongs like “Friends in Low Places,” “Callin’ Baton Rouge” and “Ain’t Goin’ Down” – he said he’s having fun incorporating in some new tunes such as “Baby, Let’s Lay Down and Dance” and “Ask Me How I Know,” though at first he was unsure about playing new music live.

“My favorite thing is how they’re treating the new stuff like the old stuff, which is really cool,” he said. “When I first came back I was hesitant about it because I hadn’t played in a long time, but now it’s fun and tonight we’ll start with something new and there will be something new dead center.”

He still loves to look out and see and hear the audience roar along to some of his biggest hits.

“Like when you do something like ‘Unanswered Prayers’ and you’re singing it to someone who is younger than the song and you’re going ‘How do you know this song?’’” he said with a laugh. “That’s always pretty cool.”

Brooks said that one of the biggest highlights of making his return to the road is having his wife Trisha by his side. Though she’s known more these days for her cookbooks, which led to her own cooking show, “Trisha’s Southern Cooking” on the Food Network, Yearwood is a Grammy award-winning country star with hits like “She’s in Love With the Boy,” “How Do I Live” and her duet with Brooks, “In Another’s Eyes.”

“It’s been really fun to have both careers,” she said. “If I ever had to pick – and I hope I never have to pick one thing – I’d pick music because I knew that’s what I wanted to do at 5 years old. As long as I can sing, I’m going to. This second career has been such a pleasant surprise that came out of me simply saying ‘I like to cook.’ That’s what got me into this mess, but I’m enjoying myself. I’m 52 years old now and I’m like ‘Wow, I’m doing more now than I’ve ever done’.”

Though she’s now a food guru, Yearwood said there are nights where she and Brooks want to be lazy so they’ll roll through McDonald’s or Brooks will take over kitchen duty.

“He makes a pretty simple warm pasta salad that’s really yummy,” she said. “He’ll just be like ‘I got this.’ Our lives are not structured. Like my mom had a full-time job and had dinner on the table by 6 p.m. every night. I’m so glad I don’t have to do that. I couldn’t possibly do that.”

Garth Brooks World Tour

With: Trisha Yearwood

When: 7:30 p.m. Friday, July 21, Saturday, July 22, Friday, July 28 and Saturday, July 29

Kelli Skye Fadroski lives for entertainment. She’s worked at The Orange County Register since 2006 and has covered all things music, stand-up comedy, horror and more. When she’s not out reviewing a concert or interviewing some random famous person, she’s catching up on episodes of 'The Walking Dead,' somewhere sampling craft beer, enjoying Taco Tuesday or yelling at the contestants through the TV on 'Celebrity Name Game' for not knowing basic pop culture trivia. She’s also a diehard Detroit Lions fan.

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